It's what you’ve been waiting for all week, not world peace, not even a million bucks, but information on the top 5 industries which have grown in the last year.

As a quick recap, Recruiter Reed’s annual Job Index reveals that the number of full-time jobs available on its website increased by 17% in December 2011, compared to the same period in 2010, suggesting a big rise in interest in certain sectors. Hurrah!

See here for the tenth to sixth business sectors with the largest growth...but before I show you number five to one, a little bit of sad news.

Reed’s Job Index may have seen growth, but it also saw numbers drop in jobs available for some sectors. It seems that the public sector, especially education and social care showed a large annual decline.

But do not fear, this can be seen as good news for the small business buyer, who will work in the private sector. Stop working for the MAN and start working for yourself.

Here are the top five business sectors which have seen the most growth in the last year.

5. IT and Telecoms jobs had risen by 41% - Everyone loves the world wide web, well if the number of hours I spend looking at pictures of kittens and puppies online is any indicator, so perhaps consider buying a business in the software, telecoms, or computer resale markets?

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It might come as shock to discover that even in a (whisper it) ‘second recession’

certain employment and small business markets in the UK have expanded.

Recruiter Reed’s annual Job Index reveals that the number of full-time jobs available on its website increased by 17% in December 2011, compared to the same period in 2010.

Reed broke down this growth by sector, providing us some very interesting information. Below are the top 11 sectors with the highest annual increases in jobs,

coupled with suggestions for business opportunities you could take up to get in on the act:

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The internet has made starting a new business simple. In theory anyone can be a bedroom entrepreneur with just a computer, an internet connection and a great idea.

However just building a website and putting it out there isn’t enough. You need to think carefully about what your website is saying about your business and whether it’s fulfilling its potential as a useful tool to help your venture grow.

Yell’s web design team has come up with five questions you should ask yourself when planning a business website:

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Nelson Mandella Bridge, JohannesburgThe US recovery is gathering pace, but the prospect of a messy Eurozone collapse threatens to pull the rest of the advanced economies down with Europe.

China's breakneck growth was briefly checked while inflation threatened to get out of control, although the rising superpower seems to have largely weathered the storm.

Economic forecasts make a fool out of the most accomplished economists, but there are some clearly discernable trends which might influence prospective business buyers who are open-minded about their choice of sector.

Here are my five tips for choosing a business to buy in 2012.

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By Greg Secker, ex-vice president of investment bank Mellon Financial Corporation and founder and CEO of Knowledge to Action:

1. Know when to cut your losses

Regardless of how much experience you’ve got, or how much money you’ve previously made, anyone is capable of making a bad call, and a key part of being a successful trader is learning how to recognise a mistake and having the conviction to shut down a trade that’s losing. 

Interestingly, although trading is viewed as a male dominated arena, women often make better traders than men, partly because of their ability to close down a losing trade before too much damage is done.

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The working week would be infinitely duller without the dulcet tones of cheering music seeing us through till hometime.

Songwriters are constantly capturing commerce in rhythm and lyrics and tunes resonate regardless of whether you are a CEO taking meetings at 10pm or a paperboy on a cold morning.

Here are six business-themed songs to inspire us during work and beyond:

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Neil Kuschel, Sales Director at DHL Express discusses how SMEs can export for the first time...

The government announcement of £95m funding for SMEs by banks to invest and target export markets is a welcome move, especially as our own report has recently shown that while UK export levels are increasing, the rate of growth has slowed to just 3%.

SMEs should take this opportunity to secure funding to help expand into international markets which is critical to experiencing growth when domestic trade is tough.

Combined with favourable exchange rates and the maintenance of the 0.5% interest rate, the time is ripe for SMEs to enter markets not previously considered - from Australia to Argentina, there are unexplored opportunities across the globe.

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UK's Leading Hat Pin Business >>
Ledbury, Herefordshire, UK
£16,000

Edible birds nest supplier >>
Makati, Manila
$30,000

Dog hotel and hydrotherapy centre >>
Devon, UK
£875,000

Party bus business >>
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
$349,000

Floating restaurant >>
Port Louis, Mauritius
$1.5m

To mark Global Entrepreneurship Week running from 14-20 November, spot factoring provider, The Interface Financial Group (IFG) is inviting potential business owners to investigate an alternative route into business.

The annual event, which takes place in over 100 countries and was launched in 2008, will see hundreds of events taking place around the country, and connects budding entrepreneurs with inspiring people who have made a success of their business.

IFG is marking the occasion by reminding would-be entrepreneurs that, with the UK ranked outside the world top ten for ease of starting a new business, investing in a franchise could be a prudent alternative to a blank-page new venture.

Given the current economic climate there is extra risk associated with starting a new business, which can be daunting and challenging at the best of times.

However, statistics show franchises are more likely to survive and, unlike some franchise providers, IFG offers a comprehensive start-up programme which includes marketing in its package of life-long support for its franchisees. 

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The anti-capitalist protesters have managed to shut down St Paul’s Cathedral.

Have they successfully drawn attention to the evils of capitalism?

BOB wants to celebrate this beautiful building which hasn’t been shut down since WW2.

However, if the protesters decide if they can’t beat ‘em they may as well join them capitalist masses, here are few suggestions for what they could do with St Paul's:

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A controversial figure recently given her freedom, Amanda Knox has probably spent the last four years dreaming of the fine things she will do if she ever walks free.

Now that she is able to choose how she spends her days, we’re happy to offer Knox some appealing and alternative career paths, should she become bored of weighing up TV interview offers and partying: 

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You might have heard Foursquare mentioned in conversation and assumed it was just another social network.

However, it's location-based system that allows users to ‘check-in’ to businesses from their mobile phone could benefit the savvy small business.

Here’s how Foursquare could drive footfall to your company:

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You had an idea for a business and followed through on it.

Now you have a thriving business.

Anyone that has started a business realizes there comes a time when you want to either retire from the business or sell it to someone that can take the business to the next level. Entering into negotiations with a potential buyer can be very stressful.

Here are 10 tips on how to keep organized when selling your business.

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Internet Cafe With Virtual Office For Sale >>
Faro, Portugal
Asking price: €15,000
Sales revenue: €500,000
Established in 2009 this welcoming internet cafe combines with a virtual office and is situated in a prime location in the touristic village of Faro, 100 metres from the Marina.

Home-based Organic T-shirt And Bag Printer For Sale >>
East Sussex, UK
Asking price: £3,900
Sales revenue: £0-£200,000
Prints fashionable organic cotton T-shirts and Jute printed bags with various designs, capitalising on massive and growing demand for organic and fair trade goods.

Online Game Business For Sale >>
San Jose, US
Asking price: $170,000
Sales revenue: $500,000-$1m
Fun and simple online betting game available in various languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, English and German).

Travel Agency In Sofia For Sale >>
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Asking price: $65,000
Sales revenue: Undisclosed
Sells spa, mountain, sea, city and family hotels in Bulgaria with proven quality. the agency provides mainly individual bookings.

Aquarium For Sale >>
Location: Cebu, Phillippines
Asking price: $120,000
Sales revenue: $60,000
Once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire a unique business with the benefit of fully trained staff that know how to operate the aquarium and look after the fish and the visitors.

Europe's largest trader coaching company is holding a series of FREE workshops on how to get started as a private financial trader.

Knowledge to Action, a Sunday Times FastTrack 100 Winner founded by a trader so successful he retired from the job aged just 27, will show you how to generate cash in rising and falling stock markets and understand the risk-management formula that keeps risk to a maximum of 1% of your balance, among other things.

There are four compelling advantages to being a private financial trader:

• Cheap to start: You need only a laptop, an internet connection, some software and professional trading to get started
• Flexible: you can trade from anywhere at any time you want
• Low risk: You can limit the risk to less than 1% of your account balance without sacrificing the huge profit potential
• Tax-free trading: All profits are 100% exempt from tax under UK tax law and subject to no commissions or fees

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently." Henry Ford

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
Helen Keller

"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
Jim Rohn

“100% of the shots you don't take don't go in.”
Wayne Gretzky

"Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius."
An Wang

“All lasting business is built on friendship.”
Alfred A. Montapert

“Don't simply retire from something; have something to retire to.”
Harry Emerson Fosdick

“Hire character. Train skill.”
Peter Schutz

Seaside Restaurant

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As a child most people had some idea of what they wanted to be when they grew up, and they weren’t always even as realistic as becoming an astronaut, detective or pop star.

But now, with your dreams of fighting crime or topping the pop charts long since extinguished, your aspiration to hunt dinosaurs... well, it can’t exactly be fulfilled but BusinessesForSale.com is offering the next best thing to frustrated palaeontologists.

The world’s largest directory of business opportunities advertises countless other quirky and unusual businesses which your inner child, stamping his feet, will scream at you to buy.

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Here are some of the quirkier, more leftfield franchise opportunities for sale in the market right now.

Divorce Party Planner >>
With one in three marriages hitting the rocks, it's - sadly - a growing sector.

The Spitting Pig Co >>
Lease purchasing of hugely popular hog roasting machines!

Dial a Wife >>
Guaranteed to raise some hackles among even the mildest of feminists, this is exclusively a cleaning service.

Robot Lawnmowers >>
These 100% automated lawnmowers promise effort-free gardening, assuming they're not a nightmare to programme...

Kirsty's Horses >>
Ever wanted to be a horse-sitter? Finally, here's your chance!

Recent news that Ryanair plans to hike fares by an average of 12% could be a harbinger that the era of cheap global travel is drawing to a close.

Coinciding with the arrival from Iceland of another disruptive ash cloud, it’s the latest in a series of blows to air travellers who for years enjoyed falling air fares and a proliferation of routes to exotic locations.

The controversial no-frills carrier already hiked its prices 12% last financial in response to surging oil prices.

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